Young aplomado falcons introduced to new sites on Mustang Island (Photos)

Michael Zamora/Caller-Times
Brian Mutch (from left), a biologist with The Peregrine Fund, brings out one of six aplomado falcons and places it inside a hack site nest Tuesday on Mustang Island as hack site attendant Rebecca Stritzke and Stephanie Galla with Texas Parks & Wildlife watch.

Corpus Christi Caller-Times

CORPUS CHRISTI - Six aplomado falcons settled into their new home Tuesday as biologists continued their work to help re-establish an endangered species on Mustang Island.

Brian Mutch, a biologist with the birds of prey conservation organization The Peregrine Fund, placed the 30-day-old raptors into their nest on a hack site on Mustang Island. Mutch said the birds are just about ready to fledge, and will be closely monitored for the next few months as they learn to adapt to their environment.

Mutch said they hatched more than 50 aplomado falcons at the World Center for Birds of Prey in Boise, Idaho, which will be placed inside two hack sites on Mustang Island and in additional sites around South Texas. In total, 29 juvenile falcons will be brought to the north and south sites on Mustang Island during the next few weeks.

This is the second year aplomado falcons have been brought to Mustang Island as conservationists try to increase the number of wild pairing falcons, with the hope of and eventually taking the aplomado falcons off the endangered species list.